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Old 02-06-2020, 05:57 AM   #77
Icelander
 
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Iceland*
Default An-2

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert View Post
Polish-built models can be used for commercial purposes, as there's a reciprocal certification agreement in place with Poland (and it doesn't apply to non-Polish ones, even if they are identical), and apparently recently the issue with Russian made ones was (at least somewhat) cleared up. The big limitation of 'experimental' certification for Kessler would be that planes so certified aren't allowed far from their airfield of registration.
Yes, I saw that. Unfortunately, I also found that in the early 90s, the Polish manufacturer was selling new An-2s at an order of magnitude more than what you could buy a Russian-made one for from elsewhere in the former Soviet Union.

So, at least for the first two that Kessler obtained, they are not Polish-made. Which is fine, though, because as noted upthread, they don't need to be, given that Kessler has a need for aircraft based at Guadeloupe and Martinique, and France really does type certify Russian-made An-2s for normal commercial operations.

If, during the procese of assigning aircraft to home bases throughout Kessler's operations, I discover a need for more short-range transport aircraft, I'll certainly consider having Kessler add Polish An-2s, weighing their pros and cons versus a more conventional Western design for the purpose.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert View Post
Apparently they empty their oil tank at about the same time as they empty their fuel tank, making it 'easy' to remember when to top up the oil. While they climb slowly and fly slowly, they also don't really have a stall speed, so much as have a point where they refuse to hold altitude and start losing altitude (fast enough you don't want to land that way, but slow enough that you'll be able to walk away). In a strong wind they can just about take off standing still, which makes landing in strong cross-winds 'interesting'.
This all sounds amazing, strength and weaknesses both, from a GMing perspective. Also, from a practical perspective, very few aerial craft can transport a twelve man team and deliver them pretty much anywhere (even being noted as a popular parachuting platform) as easily and relatively affordably.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert View Post
Standard Soviet design in that respect - easy to maintain, doesn't take sophisticated skills or equipment to maintain, but maintenance hours per hour of flight are poor.
Indeed. Also, it takes a long-time to pre-flight, which is certainly a negative, albeit not one that precludes the use which the two on Gadeloupe and Martinique will be put.
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